[shigzeo]

just checked ymmv online and i agree with dobber who x2'd on me. i am learning but embarassed as co-editor of a website... to not know what is ymmv... shame on me. but yeah, ymmv for armatures or dynamics. even on thumpy versus resolved sound: we all like different sound signatures.

probably take into account how you listen now: do you like loads of detail --> if so, armatures might be your best bet. they often don't do bass as well so the details flow through and are usually much smaller. they may be faster as well but that is not always the case.

dynamics usually have tangible bass and a larger stage but are more emotional and often plagued by problems inherent in the housing system.

good luck.

 

[shigzeo]

just checked ymmv online and i agree with dobber who x2'd on me. i am learning but embarassed as co-editor of a website... to not know what is ymmv... shame on me. but yeah, ymmv for armatures or dynamics. even on thumpy versus resolved sound: we all like different sound signatures.

probably take into account how you listen now: do you like loads of detail --> if so, armatures might be your best bet. they often don't do bass as well so the details flow through and are usually much smaller. they may be faster as well but that is not always the case.

dynamics usually have tangible bass and a larger stage but are more emotional and often plagued by problems inherent in the housing system.

good luck.

 

[jrazmar]

Thank you for all your responses. I just realized that even though lots of people here at head-fi are giving praises and compliments to PFE, the same people think that the Turbines is standing on the same level with the PFE but on a different category. Shall we say that comparison between the two to determine which is better over the other is impractical since one is balanced and the other is dynamic? I'm an open-minded person but since I don't have the Turbines and have never heard of it and even don't have the budget to buy to audition it, I'll stick with my PFE for now because for me it's the best IEM I've ever heard so far...and that's me with all due respect to all fellow head-fiers.

Just to have an idea of how the Turbines sound compared to PFE, does it sound like using PFE with black filters? Sorry if I sound dumb. Just wondering if it is...

 

[Dobber65]

Sorry, didn't mean to confuse...

"YMMV" = Your mileage may vary.

One other thing about dynamics and single-armature BAs is that they should provide more-coherent phasing of complex sound waves (the different sound frequencies begin and end in the time domain as they would in the real world). To get good bass in most BAs requires dual or more individual armatures, requiring crossovers (with increasing complexity) which may affect the quality and phase of the frequency spectrum.

Not to get too complex, but this may be why Senn and Monster went with dynamic drivers (fuller sound, no crossover network required).

 

[shigzeo]

x2?! haha. yeah i agree. also, decay and attack can be affected by slightly sub par cross overs. my atrio trumped my um2 phones for trance, a genre particularly hard to do on any iem and i think that may be from the cross over not being of highest quality in the westone.

the ck10 however (a ba phone) boiled the atrio for speed and treble feeling but was just a little shy on bass unless i used thick foamies.

both are great decisions: don't buy what you don't need. if your phonak is the best you have tried, don't buy something new and then find the need to convince yourself that you made the right decision! when hype dies down and your love for whatever you are using or if your equipment breaks: that is when to buy, not when you have what you need.

 

[tstarn06]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jrazmar /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thank you for all your responses. I just realized that even though lots of people here at head-fi are giving praises and compliments to PFE, the same people think that the Turbines is standing on the same level with the PFE but on a different category. Shall we say that comparison between the two to determine which is better over the other is impractical since one is balanced and the other is dynamic? I'm an open-minded person but since I don't have the Turbines and have never heard of it and even don't have the budget to buy to audition it, I'll stick with my PFE for now because for me it's the best IEM I've ever heard so far...and that's me with all due respect to all fellow head-fiers. Just to have an idea of how the Turbines sound compared to PFE, does it sound like using PFE with black filters? Just wondering if it is...

l'll try to compare, but no, the Turbines are not the PFEs with black filters. The Turbines offer a much more bass-intensive presentation, its most prominent feature. Unlike the Atrio v1, a dynamic I once owned, I feel the Turbines also deliver very clear, not-recessed mids and highs, but not on par with those of the PFEs, which are almost the opposite to the Turbines. So how can both sound very good, cost about the same, etc? Yet, be so different? That is a very tough question to answer. Best way to say it is that for me at least, I can feel like listening to a more detailed phone one day, and then maybe want to move to a more bassy phone the next. I know this isn't very good, but it's the best I can do. It's like flavors of ice cream. Vanilla and chocolate are quite different, but both very good (at least I like them both).

You would have to hear both. Having said that, if i had to choose, I would prefer keeping the PFEs, because with the filters, they really are two very good phones in one, whereas the Turbines are what they are, so maybe more one-dimensional from that perspective.

 

[jrazmar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tstarn06 /img/forum/go_quote.gif l'll try to compare, but no, the Turbines are not the PFEs with black filters. The Turbines offer a much more bass-intensive presentation, its most prominent feature. Unlike the Atrio v1, a dynamic I once owned, I feel the Turbines also deliver very clear, not-recessed mids and highs, but not on par with those of the PFEs, which are almost the opposite to the Turbines. So how can both sound very good, cost about the same, etc? Yet, be so different? That is a very tough question to answer. Best way to say it is that for me at least, I can feel like listening to a more detailed phone one day, and then maybe want to move to a more bassy phone the next. I know this isn't very good, but it's the best I can do. It's like flavors of ice cream. Vanilla and chocolate are quite different, but both very good (at least I like them both). You would have to hear both. Having said that, if i had to choose, I would prefer keeping the PFEs, because with the filters, they really are two very good phones in one, whereas the Turbines are what they are, so maybe more one-dimensional from that perspective.

Nice point tstarn06! I see that the bass coming from the Turbines are more prominent than the other parts of the audio spectrum but can you say that unEQed the bass from PFE is more life-like and natural-sounding like listening from it is like hearing the sound of a real bass drum or any bass instrument? Or is it the Monster?

 

[ethan961]

My PFEs sound more lifelike than real life for me, but thats not the sound I want.
The PFEs have natural bass unEQed, just enough to not be wondering where it is. With an EQ, you can get some fairly bassy resuts, just without the impact of the dynamics like the monsters.

 

[jayeshrc]

well

 

[jayeshrc]

well which would you guys recommend to someone who likes to feel the thump of the bass drum but not at the cost of it overpowering anything else? From what i hear, the pfes sound like tak-tak, but i want something more.. Not boom-boom, but something in between.. Maybe thud-thud or something (not boomy). Nice rich-ish bass but clear and precise, with good detail in the mids and highs. I'm thinkin the monsters would be right, but the cable being too weak makes me think twice.. I'm a lil careless with my stuff sometimes.. (sorry for the poor sound descriptions..

)

 

[tstarn06]

No proof yet that the cable is weak from a durability perspective. But I agree, the Turbines my be the best path for you. Once they get to 30-40 hours of burn-in, the bass settles down.

 

[oarnura]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jayeshrc /img/forum/go_quote.gif well which would you guys recommend to someone who likes to feel the thump of the bass drum but not at the cost of it overpowering anything else? From what i hear, the pfes sound like tak-tak, but i want something more.. Not boom-boom, but something in between.. Maybe thud-thud or something (not boomy). Nice rich-ish bass but clear and precise, with good detail in the mids and highs. I'm thinkin the monsters would be right, but the cable being too weak makes me think twice.. I'm a lil careless with my stuff sometimes.. (sorry for the poor sound descriptions.. )

If you like slower decaying bass with lots of bass presence but still have some detail in the mids and highs the Turbine are good.

I find the Turbine bass inaccurate in the sense that notes I expect to hit lower seem to be represented higher in the frequency range (mid bass) Also the bass is more than I expect the song to have.

While the details are there they aren't as clear as they are on the PFE when a heavy bass line comes along.

The PFE offer more detail and accurate fast decaying bass which some find lacking compared to the type of bass dynamic drivers produce.

I like the Turbines but I always find the highs and mid detail lacking compared to BA based phones especially the PFE.

But if you haven't heard the PFE the Turbines are just fine and very enjoyable in the mids and highs (little lacking).

May be I don't have enough burn-in time or my ears and fit are not giving me the best sound with the turbines.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jayeshrc /img/forum/go_quote.gif well which would you guys recommend to someone who likes to feel the thump of the bass drum but not at the cost of it overpowering anything else? From what i hear, the pfes sound like tak-tak, but i want something more.. Not boom-boom, but something in between.. Maybe thud-thud or something (not boomy). Nice rich-ish bass but clear and precise, with good detail in the mids and highs. I'm thinkin the monsters would be right, but the cable being too weak makes me think twice.. I'm a lil careless with my stuff sometimes.. (sorry for the poor sound descriptions.. )

Well, among IEM I liked, with big tight controlled bass (which leave out the C700 which isn't as tight and controlled):

The Westone 3 would be a great choice for that, but you could probably find a couple of posts about some cable issues with them too.

The Image X10 have a little less bass than the Westone 3 but more than the Phonak, but you can probably find a couple of posts about cable problems.

The Nuforce NE-7M have a little less bass than the X10 but still more than the Phonak, and I haven't seen a post about the cable having problems. But now you are in territory where you give up the detail of the other three IEM I mentioned.

A couple of posts about a cable problem doesn't mean it's an issue with all of them. I never had a cable problem with SE530, Image X10 or Westone 3. Sure, they exist but it doesn't mean all of them have it.

 

[shigzeo]

i don't find the turbines to be flabby or slow at all, just not uber speed. however, with a bit of tweak to the eq for bass reducer or whatever sort you may want, they have all the elements of great bass with tangible presence and the best speed i have heard in a dynamic phone. keep in mind, i have not heard the ie8 but considering the price of monster headphones, i am so impressed.

 

[oarnura]

When I say slow I mean compared to the PFE which is a BA based phone.

The are pretty good overall. Using Comply tips seems to help me.

I still prefer the PFE. If you like the dynamic driver sound the Turbines are good.